If you are on this page, it means that you have come a long way in considering this very exciting procedure.
The LASIK experience typically starts with you making the decision to ask questions about the procedure... who has done it? how was it? Did it hurt?...
LASIK Evaluation Consultation
Once you have decided LASIK may be a good option for you make an appointment for a consultation. At our office your consultation is always with Dr. Ash. We feel that the surgeon doing the surgery would be the best person to hear your story... your reasons for wishing to do the procedure... your medical and ophthalmic history...
It is best that you stay out of your soft contact lenses for at least 5 days prior to your consultation. This will allow your cornea to uncoil from the strains that the contact lens may place on your cornea. You do not want any abnormalities masked or created at the time of your visit. Please bring all your glasses and contact lens foils with you.
On the day of your consultation, you will go through a series of examinations of the eye including:
Auto-Refraction -- a machine that measures the gross prescription of the eye.
Manifest Refraction -- your fine tuned prescription of the eye
Corneal Topography -- A mapping of the surface of the eye, for detailed analysis of any irregularities
Corneal Pachymetry -- Measuring the thickness of the central cornea
Examination of the eye and its health
Visante Anterior Segment OCT -- Ultra High resolution imaging of the front part of the eye
If at this point all the studies turn out normal and you are a candidate, there are many other test that need to be done, including dilated exam and refraction, retinal examination, wavefront examination, Visante evaluation or discussions about monovision.
However, if you are not a candidate, you will be clearly told why you are not a candidate. There are now many new exciting procedures that we perform which may provide you a great option. If you are a candidate, then the next steps are to have pictures of your eyes taken on the wavefront and the laser, discussing the consent forms, including the risks, benefits, and alternatives for the procedure.
You may be asked to have more testing done on other days, if there are any unsettled questions. Otherwise your next appointment will be the laser day.
The Laser Day
On the laser day, you should arrive with someone you trust who is going to take care of you after the procedure. You may be given some pills to make you comfortable, and relieve your anxiety.
A WaveScan mapping of your eyes may be done and then your are going to be ready for the surgery. Typically patients wait about an hour prior to being fully ready for the surgery. The surgery itself takes about 5-10 minutes per eye. After the surgery, patients wait for at least 15-30 minutes to have their eyes re-examined and sent home with full instructions with their post-operative kit.
Typically the eyes will be mildly irritated with a burning sensation and the vision will be foggy. The best thing to do is to go home and sleep. Many patient prefer taking some medications home to help with sleeping. Once you wake-up you have just started the journey to great vision. Look at the alarm clock... most likely, you can now read it!!!
Patients are typically followed on first post-op day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and then 1 year.
The physicians of Modesto Eye Center and the Northern California Laser Center are renowned Modesto and Stockton lasik eye surgeons. They are also considered Modesto and Stockton cataract surgery specialists. These physicians treat LASIK Modesto and cataracts patients from their Modesto offices.